Liquid crystal display module, display device set including the same, and method of assembling liquid crystal display module

ABSTRACT

A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) module includes a liquid crystal panel, a mold frame provided below the liquid crystal panel and supporting the liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate provided below the mold frame, and a light source assembly coupled to an outside of the mold frame to accommodate the light guide plate therein, the light source assembly partially inserted into the mold frame, and supplying light to the light guide plate.

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2008-0119127, filed on Nov. 27, 2008, and all the benefits accruingtherefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, the contents of which in its entiretyare herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (“LCD”)module, a display device set including the same, and a method ofassembling an LCD module, and more particularly, an LCD module capableof being simply assembled and having a small thickness, a display deviceset including the same, and a method of assembling an LCD module.

2. Description of the Related Art

A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) is one of the most commonly used flatpanel displays (“FPDs”) and includes two substrates having electrodesformed thereon and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. Whena voltage is applied between the electrodes, liquid crystal molecules inthe liquid crystal layer are rearranged to adjust the quantity oftransmitted light.

Since the liquid crystal molecules change the amount of transmittedlight according to the direction and the intensity of an electric fieldto display an image, the LCD device requires light for displayingimages. For example, representative examples of a light source used forthe LCD device include a light-emitting diode (“LED”), a cold cathodefluorescent lamp (“CCFL”), and a flat fluorescent lamp (“FFL”).

In the related art, the LCD device adopts a side emission type in whichCCFL is generally used to emit light to a side surface of a light guideplate. In the side emission type, the LCD device is manufacturedmanually, not automatically, in terms of its structural characteristics.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been determined herein that an assembly process of a prior artliquid crystal display (“LCD”) is complicated, and takes a long time toassemble the prior art LCD device.

An aspect of the present invention provides an LCD module that can besimply manufactured and has a small thickness.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a display device setincluding the LCD module.

Still another aspect of the present invention provides a method ofassembling an LCD module.

However, the aspects, features and advantages of the present inventionare not restricted to the ones set forth herein. The above and otheraspects, features and advantages of the present invention will becomemore apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presentinvention pertains by referencing a detailed description of the presentinvention given below.

According to exemplar embodiments of the present invention, there isprovided an LCD module including a liquid crystal panel, a mold frameprovided below the liquid crystal panel and supporting the liquidcrystal panel, a light guide plate provided below the mold frame, and alight source assembly coupled to an outside of the mold frame toaccommodate the light guide plate therein, the light source assemblypartially inserted into the mold frame, and supplying light to the lightguide plate. The light source assembly includes a cover coupled to themold frame, a printed circuit board (“PCB”) provided on the cover andhaving a circuit pattern disposed thereon, and a plurality of pointlight source elements connected to the PCB.

According to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, thereis provided a display device set including the LCD module, a set framesurrounding an edge of the LCD module, a front case provided in front ofthe LCD module and the set frame and having a window through which adisplay area of the LCD module is exposed, and a rear case coupled torear surfaces of the LCD module and the set frame.

According to still other exemplary embodiments of the present invention,there is provided a method of assembling an LCD module, the methodincluding sequentially arranging optical sheets, a light guide plate,and a reflecting sheet on a rear surface of a mold frame, coupling themold frame and a light source assembly such that the light sourceassembly at least partially covers the rear surface of the mold frame,turning the mold frame over and arranging a liquid crystal panel on afront surface of the mold frame, and adhering a fixing film to aboundary between the liquid crystal panel and the mold frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplaryembodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an exemplary liquidcrystal display (“LCD”) module according to a first exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCDmodule shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCD module;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary first lightsource assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the exemplary first lightsource assembly taken along line IVB-IVB of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCDmodule shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear view illustrating an exemplary mold frame shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear perspective view illustrating portion A shownin FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away perspective view illustrating theexemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a partially cut-away perspective view illustrating theexemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view illustrating an exemplary LCD moduleaccording to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view illustrating an exemplary LCD moduleaccording to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an exemplarydisplay device set according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods ofaccomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and theaccompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fullyconvey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and thepresent invention will only be defined by the appended claims. Likereference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, itcan be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layeror intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly connected to”or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are nointervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to likeelements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one component and/or feature to another component and/orfeature, or other component(s) and/or feature(s), as illustrated in thedrawings. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in use oroperation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of thepresent invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and“the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood thatthe terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to cross section illustrations that are schematicillustrations of idealized embodiments of the present invention. Assuch, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments of the present invention shouldnot be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regionsillustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result,for example, from manufacturing. Thus, the regions illustrated in thefigures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended toillustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) module according to afirst exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCDmodule according to the first exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating theexemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective viewillustrating the exemplary LCD module.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an LCD module 100 according to the firstexemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystalpanel assembly 120, a backlight assembly 190, and a fixing film 110.

The liquid crystal panel assembly 120 includes, for example, a liquidcrystal panel 123, a chip film package 126, and a source printed circuitboard (“PCB”) 128.

The liquid crystal panel 123 includes a lower display panel 122 having,for example, gate lines, data lines, a thin film transistor (“TFT”)array, and pixel electrodes formed or otherwise disposed thereon, anupper display panel 124 arranged so as to face the lower display panel122, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two displaypanels. The liquid crystal panel 123 displays image information.

The chip film package 126 is connected to the data lines formed in thelower display panel 122 and provides data driving signals. The chip filmpackage 126 includes a wiring pattern of semiconductor chips formed on aflexible film and a tape automated bonding (“TAB”) tape bonded by a TABtechnique. For example, as the chip film package, a tape carrier package(“TCP”) or a chip on film (“COF”) may be used. The chip film package isjust an illustrative example.

The gate driver is connected to the gate lines formed or otherwisedisposed in the lower display panel 122 and provides gate drivingsignals. The gate driver may be provided in the form of an integratedcircuit (“IC”) on the lower display panel 122. That is, the gate drivermay be formed together with the TFT array. However, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The gate driver may have substantiallythe same shape as the chip film package 126.

The source PCB 128 is provided with various driving parts that processthe gate driving signals input to the gate driver and the data drivingsignals input to the chip film package 126. That is, the source PCB 128is connected to the liquid crystal panel 123 and provides imageinformation. In order to minimize the thickness of the LCD module 100,the source PCB 128 may be provided on the same plane as the liquidcrystal panel 123. However, the present invention is not limitedthereto. Since the source PCB 128 is connected to the liquid crystalpanel 123 by the chip film package 126 composed of a flexible film, thesource PCB 128 may be bent along one side of the liquid crystal panel123 and mounted to the rear surface of the liquid crystal panel 123.

The backlight assembly 190 includes, for example, a mold frame 130,optical sheets 140, a light guide plate 150, a reflecting sheet 160, andfirst and second light source assemblies 170 a and 170 b.

The light guide plate 150 guides light emitted from the first and secondlight source assemblies 170 a and 170 b to the liquid crystal panel 123.The light guide plate 150 may include guide grooves 152, which will befurther described below. The light guide plate 150 may be made of aplastic-based transparent material in order to effectively guide light.The light guide plate 150 may be formed of an acrylic resin, such aspolymethyl methacrylate (“PMMA”), or polycarbonate. When light incidenton one side surface of the light guide plate 150 reaches the uppersurface or the lower surface of the guide plate 150 at an angle that islarger than a threshold angle, the light is specularly reflected fromthe surface of the light guide plate 150 without being emitted to theoutside of the light guide plate 150 and uniformly travels through thelight guide plate 150. A top surface of the light guide plate 150corresponds to an emission surface of the light guide plate 150, and abottom surface of the light guide plate 150 corresponds to a surfacewhich faces the reflection sheet 160. A side surface of the light guideplate 150 connects the upper surface to the lower surface of the lightguide plate 150. A first side of the side surface of the light guideplate 150 faces a light emitting portion of the first light sourceassembly 170 a and a second side of the side surface of the light guideplate 150 faces a light emitting portion of the second light sourceassembly 170 b.

A scattering pattern (not shown) is formed or otherwise disposed on atleast one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the light guideplate 150 such that light traveling through the light guide plate 150can be emitted to the liquid crystal panel 123. It is preferable thatthe scattering pattern be provided on the lower surface of the lightguide plate 150. That is, light traveling through the light guide plate150 is reflected from the scattering pattern and then emitted to theoutside of the light guide plate 150 through the upper surface of thelight guide plate 150. The size and density of the scattering patternthat is provided on one surface of the light guide plate 150, in orderto maintain the brightness of light emitted from the entire surface ofthe light guide plate 150 to be uniform, may vary depending on thedistance from the first and second light source assemblies 170 a and 170b. For example, as the distance from the first and second light sourceassemblies 170 a and 170 b is increased, the size or the density of thescattering pattern may be increased to maintain the brightness of lightemitted from the entire surface of the light guide plate 150 to beuniform. The scattering pattern may be formed by printing ink using asilk-screen printing technique, but the present invention is not limitedthereto. Fine grooves or protrusions may be formed on the light guideplate 150 to form a scattering pattern having substantially the sameeffects as described above.

The first and second light source assemblies 170 a and 170 are arrangedat opposing sides of the light guide plate 150. In order to emit uniformlight to a display screen in this arrangement structure, it ispreferable that the light guide plate 150 be formed in a flat typehaving a substantially uniform thickness. However, the present inventionis not limited thereto, but the light guide plate 150 may have variousshapes.

The optical sheets 140 are provided on the upper surface of the lightguide plate 150 to diffuse and condense light emitted from the lightguide plate 150. The optical sheets 140 include, for example, adiffusion sheet, a prism sheet, and a protective sheet. The diffusionsheet provided between the light guide plate 150 and the prism sheetdiffuses light incident from the light guide plate 150 to prevent lightfrom being partially focused. The prism sheet may include triangularprisms arranged in a predetermined pattern on the upper surface thereof,and generally includes two sheets arranged such that prism patternsintersect each other. The prism sheet focuses light diffused by thediffusion sheet in a direction that is vertical to the liquid crystalpanel 123. Therefore, most of light passing through the prism sheettravels in the vertical direction, and a uniform brightness distributionis obtained on the protective sheet. The protective sheet provided onthe prism sheet not only protects the surface of the prism sheet, butalso diffuses light to obtain a uniform light distribution. The opticalsheets 140 may include guide grooves 142, respectively aligned withguide grooves 152 of the light guide plate 150, as will be furtherdescribed below. The structures of the optical sheets 140 are notlimited to the above, but they may vary depending on the specificationsof the LCD module 100.

The reflecting sheet 160 is provided below the light guide plate 150,and reflects light emitted from the lower surface of the light guideplate 150 upward. The reflecting sheet 160 reflects light that has notbeen reflected from the diffusion sheet of the optical sheets 140disposed on the emission surface of the light guide plate 150 to theemission surface of the light guide plate 150, thereby reducing the lossof light incident on the liquid crystal panel 123 and improving theuniformity of light emitted from the emission surface of the light guideplate 150. For example, the reflecting sheet 160 may be formed ofpolyethylene terephthalate (“PET”), and one surface of the reflectingsheet 160 may be coated with a diffusion layer including, for example, atitanium dioxide. When the titanium dioxide is dried, the titaniumdioxide forms a white layer like a frost layer. In this way, it ispossible to uniformly diffuse light and obtain a predetermined lightreflection effect.

The mold frame 130 is a rectangular frame, and is provided at the upperedge of the optical sheets 140. A plurality of hooks 132 is formed onthe outer surface of the mold frame 130. User holes 30 are formed at thecorners of the mold frame 130, and bolts are inserted into the userholes 30 when a display device set is assembled.

The first light source assembly 170 a and the second light sourceassembly 170 b emit light to the first and second sides of the sidesurface of the light guide plate 150. Specifically, the first lightsource assembly 170 a includes a first cover 172 a, a first flexible PCB176 a that is disposed on the first cover 172 a and has a circuitpattern disposed thereon, and a plurality of point light source elements178 connected to the first flexible PCB 176 a. Similarly, the secondlight source assembly 170 b includes a second cover 172 b, a secondflexible PCB 176 b that is disposed on the second cover 172 b and has acircuit pattern disposed thereon, and a plurality of point light sourceelements 178 connected to the second flexible PCB 176 b. The point lightsource elements 178 of the first light source assembly 170 a areprovided at the first side of the light guide plate 150, and the pointlight source elements 178 of the second light source assembly 170 b areprovided at the second side of the light guide plate 150, where thefirst side is opposite to the second side.

The point light source element 178 includes a light-emitting element.For example, as the point light source element 178, a light-emittingdiode (“LED”), a glow lamp, or a white halogen lamp may be used. It ispreferable to use the LED having high color reproducibility and lowpower consumption. The point light source element 178 includes a frame(not shown) and red, green, and blue light-emitting chips mounted on theframe. Red, green, and blue light components emitted from thelight-emitting chips are mixed with each other to form white light. Inthis embodiment, the point light source elements 178 are provided in thefirst light source assembly 170 a and the second light source assembly170 b, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,line light sources extending along the side walls of the first cover 172a and the second cover 172 b may be used.

The point light source elements 178 are connected to one end of thefirst flexible PCB 176 a, and the other end of the first flexible PCB176 a extends to the rear surface of the first cover 172 a through anopening 173 formed in the first cover 172 a and is then connected to aconverter PCB 180. Similarly, the point light source elements 178 areconnected to one end of the second flexible PCB 176 b, and the other endof the second flexible PCB 176 b extends to the rear surface of thesecond cover 172 b through an opening 173 formed in the second cover 172b and is then connected to the converter PCB 180. In order to minimizethe thickness of the LCD module 100, the converter PCB 180 is arrangedadjacent to the source PCB 128, and may be provided on the same plane asthe liquid crystal panel 123, similar to the source PCB 128.

The first cover 172 a and the second cover 172 b are coupled to the moldframe 130 to accommodate the optical sheets 140, the light guide plate150, and the reflecting sheet 160 therein. A portion of the reflectingsheet 160 may be exposed to the outside without being covered by thefirst and second covers 172 a and 172 b. Hook engaging holes 174 forengaging with the hooks 132 of the mold frame 130 may be formed in theside walls of the first cover 172 a and the second cover 172 b. However,the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the hookengaging holes may be formed in the mold frame 130, and the hooks 132may be formed on the first cover 172 a and the second cover 172 b. Inalternative exemplary embodiments, the mold frame 130 may be coupled tothe first and second covers 172 a and 172 b by various methods using,for example, screws.

The liquid crystal panel 123 is provided on the mold frame 130, and thefixing film 110 is adhered to the boundary between the liquid crystalpanel 123 and the mold frame 130 to fix the liquid crystal panel 123 tothe mold frame 130. When the fixing film 110 is adhered to the moldframe 130, the user holes 30 formed at the corners of the mold frame 130may be exposed. The fixing film 110 may be formed integrally with themold frame 130 along the boundary between the liquid crystal panel 123and the mold frame 130, or it may be divided into a plurality of partsand the parts may overlap each other. The fixing film 110 not only fixesthe liquid crystal panel 123 to the mold frame 130, but also preventslight from leaking from the boundary therebetween. In addition, thefixing film 110 may prevent the generation of noise from the liquidcrystal panel 123 due to surrounding electromagnetic waves. For example,a black tape or a conductive tape made of, for example, aluminum (Al) orcopper (Cu) may be used as the fixing film 110.

Next, the first and second light source assemblies 170 a and 170 baccording to the first exemplary embodiment of the present inventionwill be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5. Forclarity of description, only the first light source assembly 170 a isdescribed, but the second light source assembly 170 b may havesubstantially the same structure as the first light source assembly 170a. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the exemplary first lightsource assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional viewillustrating the exemplary first light source assembly taken along lineIVB-IVB of FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a partial rear perspective viewillustrating the exemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5, the first cover 172 a of the firstlight source assembly 170 a includes a substantially rectangular plate270 that covers a portion of the rear surface of the LCD module 100, andfirst to third side walls 272, 274, and 276 that are formed along theedge of the plate 270. The first side wall 272 and the second side wall274 are arranged so as to face each other, and have the hook engagingholes 174 formed therein. The third side wall 276 is provided betweenthe first side wall 272 and the second side wall 274, and the pointlight source elements 178 are provided on the inner surface of the thirdside wall 276. The first flexible PCB 176 a is provided inside the firstcover 172 a along a portion of the plate 270 and along the third sidewall 276, and the point light source elements 178 formed on the firstflexible PCB 176 a are arranged in a line along the third side wall 276.

In the plate 270, a step portion 10 is formed at the boundary between acentral portion 270 a and an edge portion 270 b. The central portion 270a of the plate 270 protrudes from the step portion 10 so as to be closerto the liquid crystal panel 123 than the edge portion 270 b. An opening173 through which the first flexible PCB 176 a passes is formed in thestep portion 10. Therefore, one end of the first flexible PCB 176 a isarranged at the edge portion 270 b that is further away from the liquidcrystal panel 123 in the first cover 172 a, and the other end of thefirst flexible PCB 176 a passes through the opening 173 and extends tothe converter PCB 180 by extending along the rear surface of the centralportion 270 a of the plate 270. In this way, it is possible to minimizean increase in the overall thickness of the LCD module 100 due to thethickness of the first flexible PCB 176 a.

The first side wall 272 and the second side wall 274 are providedoutside the mold frame 130 and are coupled to the mold frame 130 byhooks 132 engaging with the hook engaging holes 174. The third side wall276 is provided inside the mold frame 130, and the point light sourceelements 178 emit light to the first side of the side surface of thelight guide plate 150. The first cover 172 a dissipates heat generatedfrom the point light source elements 178, and may be formed of a metalmaterial, such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or iron (Fe). The area ofthe plate 270 may be adjusted depending on the amount of heat generatedfrom the point light source elements 178.

Insertion holes 179 into which fixing pins (see reference numeral 131 inFIG. 7) of the mold frame 130 are inserted are formed in portions of theplate 270 adjacent to the first side wall 272 and the second side wall274.

Next, the coupling relationship between the mold frame 130 and the LCDmodule 100 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.FIG. 6 is a rear view illustrating the exemplary mold frame shown inFIG. 1. FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear perspective view illustrating portionA shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away perspective viewillustrating the exemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is apartially cut-away perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCDmodule shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the mold frame 130 includes a rectangularframe-shaped side portion 133, and first and second supporting portions134 and 135 that protrude inwardly from the side portion 133. The liquidcrystal panel 123 is mounted to one surface of the first supportingportion 134, and the optical sheets 140 and the light guide plate 150are sequentially mounted to the other surface thereof. The secondsupporting portion 135 is formed on the other surface of the firstsupporting portion 134 and regulates the arrangement of the opticalsheets 140 and the light guide plate 150. The thickness of the secondsupporting portion 135 may be substantially equal to the sum of thethicknesses of the optical sheets 140 and the light guide plate 150. Theguide protruding portion 136 protruding inwardly from the secondsupporting portion 135 regulates the movement of the optical sheets 140and the light guide plate 150. Specifically, the guide protrudingportions 136 of the mold frame 130 are inserted into guide grooves 142(FIG. 1) formed at the edges of the optical sheets 140 and guide grooves152 (FIG. 1) formed at the edge of the light guide plate 150.

The reflecting sheet 160 is mounted on the second supporting portion 135and the fixing pins 131 are formed on the second supporting portion 135in order to regulate the movement of the reflecting sheet 160. In thisembodiment, the fixing pins 131 are formed on the guide protrudingportion 136 of the second supporting portion 135, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The fixing pins 131 may be formed onthe second supporting portion 135 at arbitrary positions. The fixingpins 131 are inserted into the insertion holes 162 of the reflectingsheet 160 and the insertion holes 179 of the covers 172 a and 172 b.Additional fixing pins 20 that protrude downwardly from the mold frame130 are formed on the first supporting portion 134 or the secondsupporting portion 135. The additional fixing pins 20 press thereflecting sheet 160 from the upper side to fix the reflecting sheet tothe first cover 172 a or the second cover 172 b.

Fixing protruding portions 137 are formed adjacent to the corners of themold frame 130 so as to protrude from the second supporting portion 135substantially in parallel to one side of the side portion 133. Aninsertion space having a U shape is provided between the fixingprotruding portions 137 and the side portion 133, and the third sidewalls 276 of the covers 172 a and 172 b are inserted into the insertionspace. In particular, edge portions of the third side walls 276 that arenot covered by the light source elements 178 may be inserted into theinsertion space between the side portion 133 and the fixing protrudingportion 137. In this embodiment, the first and second light sourceassemblies 170 a and 170 b are coupled to the mold frame 130 toaccommodate the optical sheets 140, the light guide plate 150, and thereflecting sheet 160. The first and second side walls 272 and 274 of thefirst and second covers 172 a and 172 b are coupled to the mold frame130 by hooks 132 outside the mold frame 130, and the third side walls276 of the first and second covers 172 a and 172 b are inserted andfixed to slots formed in the mold frame 130 between the fixingprotruding portion 137 and the side portion 133. Therefore, it ispossible to ensure sufficient coupling between the first and secondlight source assemblies 170 a and 170 b and the mold frame 130.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the second light source assembly 170 b isinserted into the mold frame 130, the light guide plate 150 is arrangedon the front surfaces of the point light source elements 178 provided onthe second cover 172 b, and the upper surfaces of the point light sourceelements 178 are covered with, or overlapped by, the first supportingportion 134 of the mold frame 130. When the mold frame 130 is made of areflective material or when the surface of the mold frame 130 is coatedwith a reflective material, the first supporting portion 134 formed onthe upper surfaces of the point light source elements 178 condenseslight.

When the first and second light source assemblies 170 a and 170 b areinserted into the mold frame 130, the plate 270 of the first and secondcovers 172 a and 172 b does not protrude from the lowest part of themold frame 130 to the outside. Therefore, it is possible to minimize theoverall thickness of the LCD module 100.

The LCD module 100 is assembled as follows.

First, the optical sheets 140, the light guide plate 150, and thereflecting sheet 160 are sequentially arranged on the rear surface ofthe first supporting portion 134 of the mold frame 130, with the rearsurface of the mold frame 130 facing upward, and the first and secondlight source assemblies 170 a and 170 b cover the components to assemblea backlight assembly 190. Then, the mold frame 130 is turned over, andthe liquid crystal panel 123 is arranged on the front surface of themold frame 130 and on the optical sheets 140. Then, the fixing film 110is adhered to the boundary between the liquid crystal panel 123 and themold frame 130. According to the LCD module of this exemplary embodimentof the present invention, an assembly process is simple, and it ispossible to automate the assembly process.

Next, an exemplary LCD module according to a second exemplary embodimentof the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10.FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCD moduleaccording to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.For convenience of description, the same components as those accordingto the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same referencenumerals. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted, and only thedifference therebetween will be described.

As shown in FIG. 10, in an exemplary LCD module 200 according to thisembodiment, only the light source assembly 170 a is provided at an upperpart of the LCD module 200. In this case, a flat light guide plate, suchas light guide plate 150, may be used, or a wedge-type light guide platein which a portion adjacent to the light source assembly 170 a has alarger thickness than an opposite portion of the wedge-type light guideplate may be used.

Next, an exemplary LCD module according to a third exemplary embodimentof the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11.FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view illustrating the exemplary LCD moduleaccording to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.For convenience of description, the same components as those accordingto the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same referencenumerals. Therefore, a detailed description of same or substantiallysimilar elements will be omitted, and only the difference therebetweenwill be described.

As shown in FIG. 11, in an LCD module 210 according to this exemplaryembodiment, only the light source assembly 170 b is provided at a lowerpart of the LCD module 210. In this case, a flat light guide plate maybe used, such as light guide plate 150, or a wedge-type light guideplate in which a portion adjacent to the light source assembly 170 b hasa larger thickness than an opposite portion of the wedge-type lightguide plate may be used.

Next, a display device set according to a fourth exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG.12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the exemplary displaydevice set according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. For convenience of description, in this embodiment, theexemplary LCD module shown in FIG. 1 is used, but the present inventionis not limited thereto. The LCD modules shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 mayalternatively be used.

Referring to FIG. 12, a display device set 300 according to the fourthexemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the LCD module100, a set frame 322 that surrounds the edge of the LCD module 100, afront case 310 that is coupled to the front surfaces of the LCD module100 and the set frame 322, a rear case 320 that is coupled to the rearsurfaces of the LCD module 100 and the set frame 322, and a supportingmember 330 that is provided on the rear surface of the rear case 320 andsupports the overall structure.

The set frame 322 has a thickness that is substantially equal to orlarger than that of the LCD module 100, and a window through which aneffective display area of the LCD module 100 is exposed is formed in thefront case 310. A main board that supplies image signals to the sourcePCB 128 may be formed inside the supporting member 330.

In an exemplary embodiment, the display device set 300 may be assembledas follows.

First, the LCD module 100 is inserted into the set frame 322, and thefront case 310 is adhered to the front surfaces of the LCD module 100and the set frame 322 by a double-sided tape or an adhesive. Then, therear case 320 is coupled to the rear surfaces of the LCD module 100 andthe set frame 322 by, for example, screws.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid crystal display module comprising: aliquid crystal panel; a mold frame which is below the liquid crystalpanel, supports the liquid crystal panel; a light guide plate below themold frame; and a light source assembly comprising: a cover coupled tothe mold frame, a printed circuit board which is directly on the coverand comprises a circuit pattern thereon, and a plurality of point lightsource elements which is connected to the printed circuit board andsupplies light to the light guide plate, wherein the light sourceassembly is partially inserted into the mold frame.
 2. The liquidcrystal display module of claim 1, wherein the cover includes: a plateprovided on a rear surface of the light guide plate, and a third sidewall, wherein the point light source elements are provided on an innersurface of the third side wall.
 3. The liquid crystal display module ofclaim 2, wherein: the third side wall and the point light sourceelements are disposed within the mold frame; and the point light sourceelements are arranged adjacent a side surface of the light guide plate.4. The liquid crystal display module of claim 2, wherein the coverincludes first and second side walls formed at edges of the plate andcoupled to opposing side portions of the mold frame.
 5. The liquidcrystal display module of claim 4, wherein the first and second sidewalls are coupled to the mold frame by hooks.
 6. The liquid crystaldisplay module of claim 2, wherein: the plate includes a centralportion, and an edge portion; the central portion protrudes toward theliquid crystal panel so as to be closer to the liquid crystal panel thanthe edge portion; and one end of the printed circuit board is arrangedon the edge portion.
 7. The liquid crystal display module of claim 6,wherein the plate includes a step portion positioned at a boundarybetween the central portion and the edge portion.
 8. The liquid crystaldisplay module of claim 6, wherein another end of the printed circuitboard extends to a rear surface of the plate through an opening formedin the step portion.
 9. The liquid crystal display module of claim 1,wherein the mold frame includes: a rectangular frame-shaped sideportion; a supporting portion that protrudes inwardly from the sideportion and supports the light guide plate.
 10. The liquid crystaldisplay module of claim 9, further comprising a reflecting sheetprovided between the light guide plate and the light source assembly,and fixing pins disposed on the supporting portion, wherein thereflecting sheet includes first insertion holes into which the fixingpins are inserted.
 11. The liquid crystal display module of claim 10,wherein: the cover includes second insertion holes into which the fixingpins are inserted.
 12. The liquid crystal display module of claim 1,further comprising: a reflecting sheet provided between the light guideplate and the light source assembly; and fixing pins disposed on themold frame and pressing the reflecting sheet to fix the reflecting sheetto the cover.
 13. The liquid crystal display module of claim 1, furthercomprising a reflecting sheet provided between the light guide plate andthe light source assembly, wherein a portion of the reflecting sheet isexposed and not covered by the cover.
 14. The liquid crystal displaymodule of claim 1, wherein the mold frame includes: a rectangularframe-shaped side portion; a supporting portion that protrudes inwardlyfrom the side portion and supports the light guide plate; and guideprotruding portions that protrude inwardly from the supporting portionand regulate movement of the light guide plate.
 15. The liquid crystaldisplay module of claim 14, wherein first guide grooves, into which theguide protruding portions are inserted, are disposed at an edge of thelight guide plate.
 16. The liquid crystal display module of claim 14,further comprising an optical sheet provided between the light guideplate and the mold frame, wherein second guide grooves, into which theguide protruding portions are inserted, are disposed at an edge of theoptical sheet.
 17. The liquid crystal display module of claim 1, whereinthe mold frame includes: a rectangular frame-shaped side portion; asupporting portion that protrudes inwardly from the side portion andsupports the light guide plate; and fixing protruding portions thatprotrude inwardly from the supporting portion, wherein an insertionspace is formed between the fixing protruding portions and the sideportion, and a portion of the light source assembly is inserted into theinsertion space and is fixed therein.
 18. The liquid crystal displaymodule of claim 1, further comprising a fixing film adhered to aboundary between the liquid crystal panel and the mold frame.
 19. Theliquid crystal display module of claim 18, further comprising user holesdisposed at corners of the mold frame, wherein the user holes areexposed from the fixing film.
 20. The liquid crystal display module ofclaim 18, wherein the fixing film is a black tape or a conductive tape.21. A method of assembling a liquid crystal display module, the methodcomprising: sequentially arranging optical sheets, a light guide plate,and a reflecting sheet on a rear surface of a mold frame; coupling themold frame and a light source assembly such that the light sourceassembly at least partially covers the rear surface of the mold frame;turning the mold frame over and arranging a liquid crystal panel on afront surface of the mold frame; and adhering a fixing film to aboundary between the liquid crystal panel and the mold frame, after theliquid crystal panel is arranged on a front surface of the mold frame.